Hill asked curiously:
“Can you also use R Coin to pay in this shop?”
“Yes, but it has to be cash. She has a tool that can convert currencies at an equal rate.”
At the same time, Asmodi was aware of the existence of surface dwellers.
Compared to goods in the surface world, the products here were all sold very cheaply.
Siloque walked closer to Asmodi, separated from her by only a sales counter.
“I want the skill for 《Alchemy》.”
“Good eye. I approve. This skill just arrived this morning and you came… how about 10 million for it?”
“——? 10 million!?”
Hill, who had been admiring the goods, instantly turned her head at the price, suspecting there was a typo or two extra zeros.
Siloque nodded, indicating agreement.
“Alright, please wait here.”
With a cigarette in her mouth, Asmodi walked into the storage area behind, searching out of sight of the two.
Unfortunately, this was the real price, just like in the game.
“Is it really okay? Brother, Hill didn’t expect it to cost so much. Even with all my allowance, it’s still not enough….”
“It’s fine. I’m using my own money to buy it.”
They had already split the exploration profits before.
Besides, Siloque didn’t want to keep borrowing money from his sister.
Hill leaned to Siloque’s ear and whispered:
“If it’s really not possible, Hill can use 《Stealth Walker》to turn invisible and sneak it out.”
Siloque was speechless, but looked at Hill with a smile.
“Alright, Hill was just kidding, just wanted to help.”
He would be coming to this store again, and Siloque wanted to maintain a good customer-merchant relationship with Asmodi.
Soon, Asmodi came out carrying the item.
“This is the crystal of (Alchemy) . Three Bones of the Pipa Player are a bonus for you.”
Asmodi placed the crystal on a small square red cushion.
Unlike ordinary crystals, it was a perfect sphere, with a jewel-like brilliance within its transparent color.
Siloque didn’t take it but quietly examined the crystal.
Inside the flawless crystal, the word “Refining” was inscribed.
Siloque focused on the letter “n'”.
Compared to the other letters, “n'” was slightly distorted.
“Asmodi.”
“Oh? You know my name? But… isn’t it a bit rude to call me so directly?”
Asmodi’s vertical pupils narrowed, radiating curiosity and slight displeasure.
“q…bro…”
Hill tugged at Siloque’s sleeve.
Siloque didn’t move, staring into Asmodi’s alluring eyes and pushing the crystal back.
“You’re selling me a high-quality fake for 10 million, that’s you being rude to me first.”
Hearing this reply, Asmodi withdrew her displeasure, a faint smile appearing on her lazy face as she exhaled smoke towards Siloque:
“Qualified. Your eyes are pretty sharp.”
“Cough, cough! Cough! Sorry, I don’t smoke.”
Siloque coughed into his hand.
It smelled nice, but he couldn’t stand the taste of smoke.
“Eh…? Horned big sister, is what my brother said true?”
Asmodi responded quickly:
“That’s right, it’s true.”
“Big sister, you’re too mean. You actually tried to swindle my brother for 10 million with a fake crystal. Are you a Demon?”
“Thank you, I am indeed a Demon.”
Faced with Hill’s righteous accusation, Asmodi collected the fake crystal with a calm face.
Hahaha, if you really took my money, you’d end up with a fake crystal that not only can’t be used for any skill but also takes up a skill slot and even costs money to remove.
When buying from Asmodi for the first time, it’s best to bring an identification skill.
However, Siloque had read the guides on the forums.
They said that even without identification skills, there were subtle differences between the illustrations of real and fake items.
If you compare them carefully, you can spot the issues.
At this moment, Asmodi’s slender white hand reached into the bottomless ru valley and took out the real (Alchemy) crystal.
There was spatial magic set up there, making it easy to retrieve through the small opening in her chest-high cheongsam.
This action left Hill stunned, her mouth half open as she muttered, “Th-Thunder General?”
As for whether she was stunned by the magic or the abyss, only she herself knew.
What a classic seductive technique… but quite effective.
This time, Siloque accepted the (Alchemy) crystal, which was warm and scented with a lingering fragrance, and examined it carefully.
“Um, brother, don’t act like a dog and sniff the residual scent just because it has a woman’s smell. That’s gross.”
“As a gentleman, how could I possibly do such a thing right now?”
“Right now?”
Siloque put down the crystal.
This time, it was definitely the real thing.
“I want to pay with the “Balance of Things’.”
“You even know about that?”
Asmodi sat back in her bamboo rocking chair.
She raised a finger and wiggled it.
The Balance of Things floated down from the shelf onto the table.
It appeared as a small, exquisitely made ancient dark-brown scale, a tool capable of precisely measuring value.
Siloque took out a bag from the Ring Chart, one as large as half of himself.
The bag had a magical space effect and contained all the crystals, crystal cores, and R Coin cash collected earlier—everything valuable except for essential combat items—totaling at least 50 kilograms.
He placed it on one end of the scale.
Instead of crushing or overflowing the scale, the bag floated lightly as if held up by an invisible hand.
On the empty side, blue-violet numbers appeared—30, 42, 61…
“These numbers calculate the final value. The unit… is ten thousand.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Though Asmodi sounded casual, Siloque knew she wasn’t lying.
He stared at the fluctuating numbers, like a stock trader watching his entire portfolio.
301.
“Wow, wow, is our loot really worth that much? Hill’s sense of money is shaken.”
Hill exclaimed, her hands trembling.
“It’s money earned with our lives. I think it’s too little.”
4190
“Brother, I feel like we could pay off Dad’s mortgage in one go. Is this skill really that valuable?”
“It is.”
6240
Hill seemed to get bored watching and went off to chat with Asmodi, happily massaging her shoulders.
Siloque remembered that was the massage technique used to loosen Grandma’s muscles…
7130
“!”
The numbers stopped, completely still.
Siloque’s heart almost stopped as well.
“Big sister, it’s so expensive. Can’t you make it a bit cheaper…?”
Hill rocked Asmodi’s chair for her.
Asmodi enjoyed another puff of her cigarette.
“This is the only skill in the shop… no, in the entire Dungeon.”
“I see…”
Asmodi noticed Hill’s disappointed look, stayed silent for a while, and after blowing out three smoke rings, said quietly:
“9 million.”
“Eh?”
Hill made a blank sound.
“The rest, let your brother figure it out. This is the final price.”
Asmodi closed her eyes, signaling the conversation was over.
Hill continued massaging Asmodi, glancing at Siloque with a wiki-like look, and her hands moved more gently.
My sister can lower the price by 1 million just by chatting…
With this bargaining ability, all the shopping aunties would want to be her disciples.
But the money still wasn’t enough.
The sooner I get this skill, the better, to avoid unexpected trouble.
“Ugh. I really didn’t want to use this move.”
Siloque put on the face of a knightess captured by goblins.
He swiped open the Ring Chart, hesitated, and made a call.
The phone rang less than three times before it was answered.
“Hello, Cass? Yes, yes, it’s Siloque. No, I’m not calling to borrow your BD Disc. Maybe next time. Actually, I need a favor… can I borrow some money?”
Cass readily agreed, his tone as if he’d just closed his first big business deal after years of effort as an entry-level employee promoted to director.
When Siloque used teleport to return to the Explorer Hall and walked to the street in the Dungeon Commercial District, he saw their old butler Hyder, respectfully handing him a case of money while wiping tears from his eyes, saying young master Cass finally had a trustworthy friend, that the boy had always been lonely, and reminisced about the past.
So cheesy.
Or maybe just bizarre.
Anyway, Siloque gathered enough money and used the Ring Chart’s teleportation function again to return to Asmodi’s shop.
Strange.
At this point in other dragon-op main character stories, they’re usually rolling in wealth. Why am I still dirt poor and in debt…?
He handed the money to Asmodi and received the skill—
(Alchemy)
Gaining a powerful skill should have been a happy occasion, but Siloque felt as calm as a sage.
Probably because he was now a “negative person” with not a single cent left.
Whatever, whatever! I’ll just earn more later.
You can always earn more money, but if you lose your life, it’s really over.
Siloque forced himself to perk up and crushed the crystal.
He opened the Ring Chart’s status bar, and the line for (Alchemy) appeared, finally letting him relax.
After finishing everything, he left with Hill.
“I’ll probably come again. I hope you’ll look after me then.”
Siloque smiled as he said his farewell.
“Is that so. You two are rare customers. I’ll be lonely when you’re gone.”
Asmodi was unexpectedly kind, seeing them off to the door.
“Big sister, if you want more customers, why not remove the barrier? And stop running a shady business.”
“That’s for self-protection. Here I can avoid the Goddess’s interference and quietly do what I like.”
“Goddess? But big sister, you’re a Demon, and you actually believe in God?”
Hill listened, dumbfounded.
Asmodi smoked, rubbing Hill’s yellow hair.
Surprisingly, Hill didn’t resist. She even tried to touch Asmodi’s horns, and Asmodi readily agreed.
You two sure became close fast.
Siloque fully experienced his sister’s social skills.
As for what happened afterward—finishing the monster hunt, being dragged by his sister to shop (mainly for games), being treated to a buffet (the kind with 20% off before 4 PM), watching a movie (mostly action-popcorn flicks), wandering in the park until night, and finally discovering at home that Hill was stalling to dye her hair, insisting to dye it back while Hill clung to him begging not to—it’s a story for another time….
***
From this day on, Cass and the others, Siloque, and his sister Hill, all continued their daily routines in an orderly fashion.
Training, classes, monster hunting, going home, playing games.
Peaceful days passed by, but the unease in their hearts grew as a certain day approached.
Siloque also checked the news every day, getting teased at the dinner table by his father Claude for being as old-fashioned as his grandfather.
Until May 6th, the day before the duel, when daily routine was disrupted.